Surface Truss Planer

ABSTRACT

An improved mechanism for grinding surfaces flat is presented, involving a precision grinder with grinding heads that are adjustable in a vertical dimension controlled by a support structure on wheels. The support structure has an adjustable wheelbase that allows sinusoidal flaws in a surface to be ground down in a controllable way. The device can be used in coordination with floor flatness measurement devices to grind concrete floors, and other horizontal surfaces.

RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application 61/032,411, filed Feb. 28, 2008, entitled “Truss Grinder System”.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of floor levelness and floor flatness ensurance. More particularly, the invention relates to surface grinding and planing devices to increase surface flatness.

BACKGROUND

The present invention provides a distinct advance in the state of the art by grinding a concrete floor, rail, plinth, sleeper, and the like to exact tolerances as described by the data output of profiling devices that may or may not be with the prior art.

This invention employs a wheeled truss and this truss is used not only as the main guide which the invention uses to stabilize its precision grinding heads, but also to house the components that control the unit. These components consist of a variety of electric, hydraulic, manual, electromechanical, hydro, and internal combustion devices all of which can be configured together to unite a self-sustained unit for the purpose of correcting elevation tolerances on specific concrete surfaces.

In an alternate embodiment, the present invention can also be fitted with accelerometers and inclinometers to produce surface profiles of what the device ‘sees’ as it travels down a path and it can produce a profile indicative of the finished ground surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves the prior art problems discussed above and provides a distinct advance in the state of the art. This device can rest upon a concrete rail or surface and grind the high crests down thereby shallowing the troughs of the surfaces sinusoidal chords as represented by

y(t)=A·sin(w t+q)

which describes a wavelike function of time (t) with:

1) peak deviation from center=A (amplitude),

2) angular frequency w,

3) phase q.

This wave pattern occurs often in nature, including ocean waves, sound waves, light waves and wet concrete when in the liquid stage before hardening. Concrete finishing devices cause a rhythmic patter and unwanted waves are the result. Also, a rough sinusoidal pattern can be seen when emulating the path of a vehicle such as a car, bus, or truck, and other vehicles. When these wave patterns occur in concrete, they must often be repaired and that is the job of this invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of the truss planer

FIG. 2 is a top view of the truss planer

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the truss planer

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A preferred embodiment of the surface truss planer apparatus of the present invention, referred to as a truss planer, is displayed in FIG. 1 through 3. The truss planer is comprised of articulating wheels 101 supporting a truss frame 103 on which rests a plenum plate 104. The cutting motor 109 is suspended from the truss frame 103 and the shaft of the drive motor is connected to the cutting heads 102. The shaft of the cutting motor 109 passes through the plenum plate 104, which possesses bearings for the cutting motor 109 shaft. The plenum plate 104 also provides up and down positioning of the cutting heads 102 using the control arms 105.

The adjustment wheel 106 is mounted on a fixed bearing that when turned, adjusts a precision-threaded shaft that pushes or pulls the control arms 105, raising or lowering the plenum plate 104. The control unit 107 is where the components that run the truss planer's systems reside. It specifically controls the process of rotating the cutting discs and using the drive train. The drive train 108 is connected to one of the articulating wheels and propels the truss planer under the control of the control unit 107. There is a water tank 110 on board the truss planer to cool the cutting blades

The articulating wheels 101 at the four corners of the truss frame 103 act as an averaging filter of the bumps on the surface on which they ride; the surface can be any surface including rails. If rails or similar reference form are used, the articulating wheels 101 can be adjusted a pre-determined amount to affect the reshaping of the surface being planed.

The cutting heads 102 can be adjusted and positioned anywhere from left to right, or fore and aft by means of the control arms 105 and the adjustment wheel 106. With the truss frame 103, the distance between front and rear axles can be varied by changing the truss length by means of the adjustment wheel 106 operating on the attached precision-threaded shaft to plane a surface, referencing the contour waves of the surface to change the surface profile. The cutting head 102 can be positioned anywhere to create a change in the resulting surface profile.

Although the invention has been described and a preferred embodiment has been provided, equivalent features may be employed and substitutions made within this specification without departing from the scope of the invention as recited in the claims. 

1. a truss planer, comprised of articulating wheels supporting a truss frame, the truss frame supporting a rectangular plenum plate, a cutting motor, and a drive train, the cutting motor possessing a vertical drive shaft, the drive shaft of the cutting motor connected to cutting heads, the drive shaft of the cutting motor passing through the plenum plate, the plenum plate possessing bearings around the drive shaft of the cutting motor, the truss frame also possessing control arms and an adjustment shaft, the control arms connecting the truss frame to and supporting the plenum plate with a rotating means, the adjustment shaft passing horizontally through the truss frame and passing through the control arms, the adjustment shaft turnable around its axis by means of a control wheel at one end, the articulating wheels connected to the truss frame with an adjustable means, the adjustable means allowing movement of the articulating wheels along the long axis of the truss frame, the articulating wheels supporting the weight of the truss planer, the drive train a motor connected to one articulating wheel in such a manner as to use the articulating wheel to propel the truss planer apparatus along a flat surface.
 2. A method of using the truss planer as in claim 1, comprised of the steps of adjusting the height of the cutting heads at the end of the drive shaft of the cutting motor by means of turning the control wheel, adjusting the distance between the articulating wheels along the length of the truss frame, lining up the truss planer to bring the cutting heads in contact with a surface to be smoothed, starting the cutting motor and the drive train, guiding the truss planer along the surface to be smoothed. 